Share this article

Spain's "retroactive" policies are damaging the country's renewable energy sector, with the country slipping down the rankings fast, a new study on action against climate change reveals.

Spain is ranked 28th in the world when it come to climate change policies according to the 2015 Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) which looks at the 61 countries responsible for 90 percent of global CO2 emissions.

That puts Spain in a group of countries described as having a "moderate" rating in terms of effectiveness in fighting climate change. Fellow members of this group include countries such as Italy, India, Indonesia and Egypt.

It also means Spain has fallen eight places in the last 12 months, the report put together by the environmental organisations Climate Action Network Europe and Germanwatch shows.

Most damning of all is Spain's record on green energy.

"Politically retroactive measures have ruined the dynamics in the renewables sector and, as a result, Spain slides down 37 places in this category. In addition, the country is opposing progressive measures on an international scale," the report's authors said.

Spain, which is responsible for 0.81 percent of global CO2 emissions, is now among the "very poor" performers in this category, the CCPI reveals.

Spain has received widespread criticism in recent times for a decision to tax people who produce solar energy using their own panels. According to the government, the policy was introduced to help Spain slash a massive debt to power producers built up over years of subsidizing energy prices for end consumers.

Private individuals who fail to hook their solar panels up to the national grid to be metered and taxed face fines of up to €30 million ($40 million) under the new law.

Critics say the move acts as a huge disincentive for people to install solar panels.